


River Stone

by PunsBulletsAndPointyThings



Series: Rex/Obi-Wan Week 2016 [5]
Category: Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Fluff, GFY, M/M, ObiRex Week day five
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-27
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-06-10 13:21:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6958114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunsBulletsAndPointyThings/pseuds/PunsBulletsAndPointyThings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I have something for you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	River Stone

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is it! Last one!
> 
> Today's piece goes with a piece of art by the amazing Leechbrain on tumblr, and I will add a link as soon as I am able.
> 
> EDIT: THIS IS THE LINK TO THE PICTURE IT IS AMAZING GO LOOK  
> http://leechbrain.tumblr.com/image/145023964884
> 
> Day Five - Reminder

“I have something for you.”  
  
Rex glances up from where he has been pressing feather-light kisses against the hollow and curve of Obi-Wan’s left hip. His Jedi is staring at him, and there is such love in the man’s eyes that it makes Rex’s chest ache.  
  
“Yeah?”  
  
Obi-Wan nods, and then turns, stretching out a hand and calling a small object from his desk to him with the Force, rather than get out of bed. Whatever it is hovers in the air above the Jedi’s hand for moment, before dropping gently down into his palm. Obi-Wan smooths a thumb over it, turns it over in his hands, and is quiet for a long moment.  
  
Rex watches, as Obi-Wan’s expression goes distant and melancholy for a moment. “Are you alright?” he asks, moving up to wrap his arms around his lover’s waist and tug him close.  
  
Obi-Wan looks up, and smiles almost sadly, reaching back to stroke Rex’s cheek with his free hand. His other hand tightens around what Rex can now see is a stone, about the size of a fist and a dark, smoky black colour. “Yes. Just…remembering.”  
  
“What is it?” Rex asks, his voice soft. The way Obi-Wan is gazing at the stone is almost reverent. The very air in the room seems to waiting for something.  
Finally, Obi-Wan sighs, a long gust of air, and turns in Rex’s arms so that he is facing his lover. He reaches out, takes Rex’s hand, and presses the stone into the flat of his palm.  
  
Silence hangs between them for a time, and then Rex’s curiosity gets the better of him, and he asks again, “What is it?”  
  
“A river stone.” Obi-Wan’s voice is soft, and still a little distant, but the horrible, aching melancholy is gone from his eyes, and it’s a relief. Rex doesn’t know how to handle melancholy.  
  
He must still look confused (after all, that is hardly an explanation), because Obi-Wan chuckles and continues, “My Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday. It came from the River of Light, on his homeworld.” He smiles, a little ruefully, “It was the first thing he ever gave me, after my braid.”  
  
Rex leans back against the headboard, Obi-Wan following his movement and resting his head on Rex’s shoulder. Rex is still holding the stone, Obi-Wan’s hand wrapped around his. They tangle their legs together under the sheets and let the silence fall once again. It’s warm in Obi-Wan’s Temple bedroom, and not for the first time, Rex silently thanks whoever managed to get them leave at the same time. Not constantly having a part of his mind actively listening for approaching boot-fall, or the wail of an alarm or the chirp of a comm is a blessing in itself, and Obi-Wan has an actual bed, with actual proper pillows. It’s bliss.  
  
“It saved my life,” Obi-Wan finally says, and Rex glances down to see his eyes are closed, and there is a smile curling his lips. He plucks the stone back from Rex’s palm and holds it up to the soft light filtering in from the small window on the other side of the room. As the light strikes the stone, red-orange veins appear in the shining black rock, glowing faintly. Rex’s eyes widen.  
  
“It’s beautiful.”  
  
Obi-Wan nods. “Not long after Qui-Gon gave it me, I got caught by a criminal organization on Phindar. They were going to wipe my memories, make me a docile slave.” He feels Rex tense behind him, and pats his arm, placing the stone back in his hand. “Somehow, this stone helped me keep the machine from destroying my memories. I could feel the Force flowing through it. I’ve carried it with me every day since then.”  
  
There is one exception to that, one that Obi-Wan does not like to think about. He does not like thinking about anything revolving around that horrible day on Naboo. He had been angry, had argued with Qui-Gon, and felt betrayed by how easily his Master had been willing to push him on, to train his Chosen One. In a fit of petty anger, Obi-Wan had left the stone under his pillow, in his chamber.  
  
He never did that again. Perhaps it is a silly fear, but he is not willing to test it.  
  
He opens his eyes, and turns his head to meet Rex’s gaze. The clone is staring at him, a mix of love and concern in his molten eyes.  
  
Force, but Obi-Wan loves him so much it hurts.  
  
“I want you to have it.”  
  
Rex blinks, his fingers closing around the stone even as he stares incredulously at Obi-Wan. “What?”  
  
“I want you to have it,” Obi-Wan repeats, smiling. “I have few possessions that can truly be called precious to me. I need my lightsaber, for obvious reasons, and I cannot give you, well, you, but this,” he taps Rex’s closed hand with one finger, “This is something I can give you. A piece me, if a bit of an unwieldy one.”  
  
“Obi-Wan, I can’t take this,” Rex protests. “Your teacher gave it to you, it’s too important.”  
  
“You can.” Obi-Wan’s voice is firm, and he twist to press a gentle kiss to Rex’s lips. “And I hope you will. I want you to have it, Rex.” He rests his forehead against his lovers, their mouths only a breath apart. “Please.”  
  
Rex has never been able to refuse his Jedi anything, especially not like this, when Obi-Wan’s eyes are dark and sincere, his breath mingling with Rex’s, bodies close enough that he can feel Obi-Wan’s heartbeat. Rex nods.  
  
“Alright.” He smiles and pulls back, just enough to raise the stone. He presses his lips to the cool, smooth surface, his eyes never leaving Obi-Wan’s. “I will treasure it. Vor entye.”  
  
Obi-Wan’s smile widens, and without a word he takes the stone out of Rex’s hand, using the Force to place it on the small table next to the bed, even as he presses close once again for a kiss full of fire.

* * *

  
The stone takes up residence in one of Rex’s belt pouches, and there it stays, eventually becoming a familiar and comforting weight. Some nights, Rex just holds it, cupped in his hands, and imagines he can still feel the warmth of Obi-Wan’s body heat, even though it has been months since it sat, tucked up in the other man’s robes, against his heart.

* * *

  
Three words. That’s all it takes. Three words, and Rex’s entire world shatters into a million tiny pieces.  
  
He’s on Kamino when the Order comes through. One moment he is eating with Wolffe, watching the Hollo Net and quietly grumbling about being away from the front lines so long (and of course, they manage to bag Dooku the moment Rex is away. How is that fair?), and the next, something in his head is screaming.  
  
_Good Soldiers Follow Orders. Good Soldiers Follow Orders. Kill the Jedi. Kill the Jedi._  
  
He hears the words repeated all around him, as soldier after soldier, man after man, rises to their feet, eyes flat. Wolffe is staring, confusion colouring his scarred face.  
  
“What the kriff is going on?!”  
  
Rex can only shake his head, because the voice is getting louder and to his distant horror, he feels himself rising to his feet.  
  
_Kill the Jedi. Kill the Jedi. Good Soldiers Follow Orders. KILL THE JEDI._  
  
“Rex!” Wolffe barks, the beginnings of panic tinging his brother’s voice. “What the hell are you doing?!”  
  
_KILL THE JEDI!_  
  
Rex grits his teeth. No! No, he won’t! He has no idea what is going on, but he won’t! The Jedi are their Generals!  
  
_GOOD SOLDIERS FOLLOW ORDERS! KILL THE JEDI!_  
  
“I won’t!” he growls, biting down hard on the inside of his cheek, so much so that he tastes blood. The river stone, an almost forgotten presence in the pocket of his blacks, starts growing warm. The new, sudden heat is startling, and Rex latches onto it, forcing his focus to the stone, the warmth, the memory of Obi-Wan ( _TraitorTraitorKillTheJedi!_ ) giving it to him, so many months ago.  
  
He isn’t sure how long he stands there, fighting with his own mind, but then, suddenly, the voice stops. Rex gasps, slumping back down into his seat. His head is screaming in pain and nausea rolls through him in waves, but his mind is his own again.  
  
Wolffe’s hand is too tight on his shoulder, and Rex lifts his head to meet the eyes, one real, one cybernetic, staring down at him.  
  
“Are you alright?!” Wolffe demands.  
  
Rex nods shakily. “I think so.”  
  
“What was that?!”  
  
“I don’t know.” Icy fear digs its fingers into Rex’s heart, and he looks around at the suddenly empty commissary. “But it’s nothing good.” He meets Wolffe’s eyes. “We need to stop them.”

* * *

  
They fail. The Jedi die. The Republic falls.  
  
Rex, Wolffe, and Gregor get off Kamino as fast as they can. They all hate it. They weren’t built to run, they were built to fight, but this is an Empire, and they can’t fight that. They’re just three clones.  
  
The River Stone sits untouched in Rex’s pocket for a long time. Not forgotten, but ignored. It hurts too much to look at it these days.

* * *

  
Ahsoka is so beautiful it brings tears to Rex’s eyes. Their Commander, the girl the 501st all took one look at, and as one promised to do anything to protect, has grown into herself since she left the Order and gods, Rex is now so glad that she got out when she did. He holds her tight, and promises himself that this one, he will protect. This time, he won’t fail.

* * *

  
Kanan’s ire, while understandable (Hera gives Rex the bare-bones of his story one night, and Rex’s heart aches for the kid the Jedi once was) but it still hurts more than Rex had expected.  
  
Ezra is so much like General Skywalker that Rex almost laughs.

* * *

  
He feels less like laughing when Ahsoka returns with the Ghost crew, wide-eyed and only barely holding her calm together, and tells him about the Sith, and her suspicions about his identity.

* * *

  
Rex is still traveling with the crew of the Ghost when the news of the destruction of the Death Star reaches them. He doesn’t think much of it, beside the joy and relief of one less weapon of mass destruction in the hands of the Empire.  
  
They had heard about Alderaan. Ezra had commed Princess Leia (apparently they had met before), and the two had talked in low, hushed voices for a long time, before Leia had smiled sadly and vanished from the hollo-projector.  
  
It’s not until Ahsoka comms him two days later that Rex finds out. Her face is grim and lined with grief as she speaks, and Rex feel numb. When he switches off the comm and stands, he doesn’t say a word, walks past the other occupants of the ship as if they aren’t there, and goes in search of something to get drunk on.  
  
It’s not good alcohol. Hell, it’s hardly even decent, but Rex doesn’t care. It does its job. He sits at the small table in the cabin Sabine lets him use when he’s with them (she takes over Hera’s bunk, and the pilot is more than happy to bunk with Kanan), and for the first time in years, pull out the river stone. He wraps his hands around it and closes his eyes, trying to organize his thoughts.  
  
He had never known for sure what happened to Obi-Wan, after Sixty-Six, had never wanted to dwell on the very high chance that he had been-  
  
Rex swallows hard. But clearly he hadn’t. Clearly he had lived, because he had died on the Death Star, killed by Darth Vader. Rex feels sick, and there are hot tears sliding silently down his cheeks, as he raises the stone and presses his lips against it, like he did all those years ago. In that moment, he is transported back, back to that bedroom in the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan curled up against him as sunlight filled the air around them.  
  
For a moment, Rex swears the air around him grows fractionally warmer, and his heart stutters in his chest, because he is certain he can feel phantom arms wrapping around him, lips pressing against his temple.  
  
More tears flow, and he lowers the stone as the sensations vanish. Opening his eyes, Rex glances around, even as he already knows what he will find.  
  
Nothing.  
  
He is alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Mando'a:
> 
> Vor entye - Thank you (lit. I accept a debt.)


End file.
